Beatus vir (Ecclesiastical Latin: [beˈatus ˈvir]; "Blessed is the man...")[a] are the first words in the Latin Vulgate Bible of both Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 (in the general modern numbering; it is Psalm 111 in the Greek Septuagint and the Vulgate[b]). In each case, the words are used to refer to frequent and significant uses of these psalms in art, although the two psalms are prominent in different fields, art in the case of Psalm 1 and music in the case of Psalm 112. In psalter manuscripts, the initial letter B of Beatus is often rendered prominently as a Beatus initial.
Beatus initial, f.4, start of Psalm 1 in the 10th-century Anglo-Saxon Ramsey Psalter
Beatus vir takes up the whole page in the 9th-century Ludwig Psalter.
Altogether the phrase occurs 14 times in the Vulgate text, eight times in the Book of Psalms, and four times in the rest of the Old Testament, but no uses in the New Testament.[1]
Psalm 1 naturally begins the text of the Book of Psalms. In illuminated manuscriptpsalters this start was traditionally marked by a large Beatus initial for the B of Beatus, and the two opening words are often much larger than the rest of the text. Between them these often take up a whole page. Beatus initials have been significant in the development of manuscript painting, as the location of several developments in the use of initials as the focus of painting. As the "initial par excellence it stimulated the ornamentalizing impulse of the medieval artist to ever-increasing heights of fantasy".[2] The 10th-century Anglo-Saxon Ramsey Psalter initial illustrated here is the first known to use the "lion mask" on the bar of the "B".[3]
In psalters of the Early and High Middle Ages there were often similarly large initials at the start of Psalm 52 ("Q" for "Quid gloriaris") and Psalm 102 ("D" for "Domine"),[c] marking traditional groupings of the psalms. Other divisions of text produced different groupings, of eight or ten groups, but all had a group beginning at Psalm 1.[4] Often these initials were the only major illumination in the manuscript, as in the Stowe Psalter. In bibles the first letter of each book was also enlarged and illuminated in grand manuscripts, producing more beatus initials.
King David was regarded as the author of the psalms, and many initials included depictions of him, so serving also as author portraits;[5] the rounded compartments of the letter "B" often allowed two scenes to be shown. Greatly enlarged beatus initials go back as least as far as the Corbie Psalter, made at Corbie Abbey soon after 800. There were probably Insular examples but none have survived.[6] The Corbie example contains two large figures within a letter shape filled with geometric motifs, mostly interlace, but for some centuries after it is ornament that dominates, with large plant scrolls taking over from geometric ornament. Figures returned during the 11th century.[7] In some elaborate later initials more scenes were shown, allowing typological comparisons between the Old and New Testaments.[8] In some psalters after about 1200, especially English ones including both the Gorleston Psalter (illustrated) and Windmill Psalter, very large "B"s allowed room for a Tree of Jesse, which included David.[9]
Incipit of Psalm 1
Vulgate
Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum, et in via peccatorum non stetit, et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit;
sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus, et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte.[10]
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.[11]
Psalm 112 in music
Psalm 112 has been included in various places in Western Christian liturgy, especially in the context of vespers, and has been popular for musical settings, which are generally known by their opening words, Beatus vir. A database of psalm settings by Italian composers of the 17th and 18th centuries lists 81 settings of Psalm 112.[12]
Today probably the best known is Claudio Monteverdi's setting of 1640, SV 268, from his Selva morale e spirituale, also known as the Vespers of 1640. This piece is still often performed by itself, and has been described as "one of the most attractive and inspired settings of the Selva morale and one of the few sacred works of Monteverdi’s later years that has become widely known."[13]
Other examples include:
Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741), Beatus vir (RV597), the better known of his three settings, one now lost; RV598 is the other.[14]
Alleluja, reversionis Aggaei et Zachariae. Beatus vir qui timet Dominum: in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus; generatio rectorum benedicetur.[20]
King James Version
Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.[21]
Settings of other psalms
Psalm 1 has been given many settings, though none are now well-known. Beatus Vir (Gorecki), Opus 38, subtitled Psalm for baritone, large mixed chorus and grand orchestra, is a setting of texts from various psalms by Henryk Górecki from 1979, commissioned by Pope John Paul II.[22] Neither Psalm 1 nor 112 are used, and the title comes from part of Psalm 33.
Verses from Psalm 1-3 (compiled together under the title 'Blessed is the man') form part of the Orthodox All-Night Vigil, and as such settings of these verses are found in settings of the service, including those by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninov.
Beatus vir
3rd movement
Mozart – vesperae de dominica. 3rd. movement (4:24 minutes, 5 MB)
^Hebrew: אשרי האיש (’ašrê hā-’îš). Other translations use "happy" etc., and very modern ones sometimes controversially use "person" as a gender-neutral substitution, although the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew terms are all decisively masculine.
^Throughout this article, the psalm numbering and links follow the general modern numbering. The Septuagint and Vulgate numbering is stated in the respective articles
^Incipit: "Domine exaudi orationem meam et clamor meus ad te veniat…"
^"Beatus vir I a 6 voci concertato 1640 (Monteverdi) - from CDA67428 - Hyperion Records - MP3 and Lossless downloads". www.hyperion-records.co.uk.
^. Archived from the original on 2016-08-18. Retrieved 2016-07-14.
^Catalogue, "simplified version of Wolfgang Reiche's thematic catalogue [Jan Dismas Zelenka: Thematisch-systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke (ZWV), Dresden, 1985], supplemented by information drawn from Janice Stockigt's splendid monograph [Jan Dismas Zelenka: A Bohemian Musician at the Court of Dresden, Oxford, 2000]."
^"Asola: Beatus vir - Asola: Sixteen Liturgical Works". www.areditions.com.
^"Beatus vir, S.39 (Lalande, Michel Richard de) - IMSLP: Free Sheet Music PDF Download". imslp.org.
^Weimar, Institut für Musikwissenschaften der Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt in (October 22, 2010). "Psalmendatenbank-Datensatz der Hochschule für Musik FRANZ LISZT Weimar". www.psalmmusic-database.de.
^"Symphony No. 2 "Copernican", Op. 31". naxos.com. Retrieved on July 15, 2016
Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beatus initials.
Calkins, Robert G. Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages. 1983, Cornell University Press, ISBN0500233756
Otto Pächt, Book Illumination in the Middle Ages (trans fr German), 1986, Harvey Miller Publishers, London, ISBN0199210608
January 31, 2023
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For the choral work see Beatus Vir Gorecki Beatus vir Ecclesiastical Latin beˈatus ˈvir Blessed is the man a are the first words in the Latin Vulgate Bible of both Psalm 1 and Psalm 112 in the general modern numbering it is Psalm 111 in the Greek Septuagint and the Vulgate b In each case the words are used to refer to frequent and significant uses of these psalms in art although the two psalms are prominent in different fields art in the case of Psalm 1 and music in the case of Psalm 112 In psalter manuscripts the initial letter B of Beatus is often rendered prominently as a Beatus initial Beatus initial f 4 start of Psalm 1 in the 10th century Anglo Saxon Ramsey Psalter Beatus vir takes up the whole page in the 9th century Ludwig Psalter The Tree of Jesse Beatus initial in the Gorleston Psalter c 1310 bordered by the royal arms of England and France fol 8r Altogether the phrase occurs 14 times in the Vulgate text eight times in the Book of Psalms and four times in the rest of the Old Testament but no uses in the New Testament 1 Contents 1 Psalm 1 in art 1 1 Incipit of Psalm 1 1 1 1 Vulgate 1 1 2 King James Version 2 Psalm 112 in music 2 1 Incipit of Psalm 112 2 1 1 Vulgate 2 1 2 King James Version 2 2 Settings of other psalms 3 Notes 4 See also 5 References 6 SourcesPsalm 1 in art EditPsalm 1 naturally begins the text of the Book of Psalms In illuminated manuscript psalters this start was traditionally marked by a large Beatus initial for the B of Beatus and the two opening words are often much larger than the rest of the text Between them these often take up a whole page Beatus initials have been significant in the development of manuscript painting as the location of several developments in the use of initials as the focus of painting As the initial par excellence it stimulated the ornamentalizing impulse of the medieval artist to ever increasing heights of fantasy 2 The 10th century Anglo Saxon Ramsey Psalter initial illustrated here is the first known to use the lion mask on the bar of the B 3 In psalters of the Early and High Middle Ages there were often similarly large initials at the start of Psalm 52 Q for Quid gloriaris and Psalm 102 D for Domine c marking traditional groupings of the psalms Other divisions of text produced different groupings of eight or ten groups but all had a group beginning at Psalm 1 4 Often these initials were the only major illumination in the manuscript as in the Stowe Psalter In bibles the first letter of each book was also enlarged and illuminated in grand manuscripts producing more beatus initials King David was regarded as the author of the psalms and many initials included depictions of him so serving also as author portraits 5 the rounded compartments of the letter B often allowed two scenes to be shown Greatly enlarged beatus initials go back as least as far as the Corbie Psalter made at Corbie Abbey soon after 800 There were probably Insular examples but none have survived 6 The Corbie example contains two large figures within a letter shape filled with geometric motifs mostly interlace but for some centuries after it is ornament that dominates with large plant scrolls taking over from geometric ornament Figures returned during the 11th century 7 In some elaborate later initials more scenes were shown allowing typological comparisons between the Old and New Testaments 8 In some psalters after about 1200 especially English ones including both the Gorleston Psalter illustrated and Windmill Psalter very large B s allowed room for a Tree of Jesse which included David 9 Incipit of Psalm 1 Edit Vulgate Edit Beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum et in via peccatorum non stetit et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit sed in lege Domini voluntas ejus et in lege ejus meditabitur die ac nocte 10 King James Version Edit Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night 11 Psalm 112 in music EditPsalm 112 has been included in various places in Western Christian liturgy especially in the context of vespers and has been popular for musical settings which are generally known by their opening words Beatus vir A database of psalm settings by Italian composers of the 17th and 18th centuries lists 81 settings of Psalm 112 12 Today probably the best known is Claudio Monteverdi s setting of 1640 SV 268 from his Selva morale e spirituale also known as the Vespers of 1640 This piece is still often performed by itself and has been described as one of the most attractive and inspired settings of the Selva morale and one of the few sacred works of Monteverdi s later years that has become widely known 13 Other examples include Antonio Vivaldi 1678 1741 Beatus vir RV597 the better known of his three settings one now lost RV598 is the other 14 Mozart s Vesperae de Dominica K 321 third movement also Vesperae solennes de confessore K 339 Beatus vir ZWV 75 76 and 77 by Jan Dismas Zelenka 15 Beatus vir MH 410 MH 398 by Michael Haydn 16 Beatus vir Seibel 26 27 and 28 by Johann David Heinichen Beatus Vir Opus 38 by Henryk Gorecki Beatus Vir by Niccolo JommelliOther settings include those by Giammateo Asola 17 Marc Antoine Charpentier 6 settings 1670 1690 H 175 H 154 H 199 H 208 H 221 H 224 Michel Richard Delalande 18 and Johann Adolf Hasse 19 Incipit of Psalm 112 Edit Vulgate Edit Alleluja reversionis Aggaei et Zachariae Beatus vir qui timet Dominum in mandatis ejus volet nimis Potens in terra erit semen ejus generatio rectorum benedicetur 20 King James Version Edit Praise ye the Lord Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his commandments His seed shall be mighty upon earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed 21 Settings of other psalms Edit Psalm 1 has been given many settings though none are now well known Beatus Vir Gorecki Opus 38 subtitled Psalm for baritone large mixed chorus and grand orchestra is a setting of texts from various psalms by Henryk Gorecki from 1979 commissioned by Pope John Paul II 22 Neither Psalm 1 nor 112 are used and the title comes from part of Psalm 33 Pieces called Beatus vir are catalogued by Marc Antoine Charpentier 6 settings H 175 H 154 H 199 H 208 H 221 H 224 Ps 112 376 different text Stanislao Mattei Felicien David and many others Verses from Psalm 1 3 compiled together under the title Blessed is the man form part of the Orthodox All Night Vigil and as such settings of these verses are found in settings of the service including those by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sergei Rachmaninov Beatus vir 3rd movement source source Mozart vesperae de dominica 3rd movement 4 24 minutes 5 MB Problems playing this file See media help Notes Edit Hebrew אשרי האיש asre ha is Other translations use happy etc and very modern ones sometimes controversially use person as a gender neutral substitution although the Latin Greek and Hebrew terms are all decisively masculine Throughout this article the psalm numbering and links follow the general modern numbering The Septuagint and Vulgate numbering is stated in the respective articles Incipit Domine exaudi orationem meam et clamor meus ad te veniat See also EditLatin Psalters VulgateReferences Edit Bible Gateway search Pacht 85 90 85 quoted Webster Leslie Anglo Saxon Art p 177 2012 British Museum Press ISBN 9780714128092 Calkins 208 Pacht 89 92 Pacht 86 92 Pacht 85 89 Calkins 214 Pacht 88 89 93 94 Calkins 215 Pacht 94 Bible Gateway passage Psalmi 1 Biblia Sacra Vulgata Bible Gateway Retrieved 9 May 2020 Bible Gateway passage Psalm 1 Authorized King James Version Bible Gateway Retrieved 9 May 2020 Psalmendatabank Weimar Hochscule in German Beatus vir I a 6 voci concertato 1640 Monteverdi from CDA67428 Hyperion Records MP3 and Lossless downloads www hyperion records co uk Saturday Chorale Archived from the original on 2016 08 18 Retrieved 2016 07 14 Catalogue simplified version of Wolfgang Reiche s thematic catalogue Jan Dismas Zelenka Thematisch systematisches Verzeichnis der musikalischen Werke ZWV Dresden 1985 supplemented by information drawn from Janice Stockigt s splendid monograph Jan Dismas Zelenka A Bohemian Musician at the Court of Dresden Oxford 2000 YouTube performance Asola Beatus vir Asola Sixteen Liturgical Works www areditions com Beatus vir S 39 Lalande Michel Richard de IMSLP Free Sheet Music PDF Download imslp org Weimar Institut fur Musikwissenschaften der Hochschule fur Musik Franz Liszt in October 22 2010 Psalmendatenbank Datensatz der Hochschule fur Musik FRANZ LISZT Weimar www psalmmusic database de Bible Gateway passage Psalmi 111 Biblia Sacra Vulgata Bible Gateway Retrieved 9 May 2020 Bible Gateway passage Psalm 112 Authorized King James Version Bible Gateway Symphony No 2 Copernican Op 31 naxos com Retrieved on July 15 2016Sources Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Beatus initials Calkins Robert G Illuminated Books of the Middle Ages 1983 Cornell University Press ISBN 0500233756 Otto Pacht Book Illumination in the Middle Ages trans fr German 1986 Harvey Miller Publishers London ISBN 0199210608 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Beatus vir amp oldid 1057826218, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
